Malick Sidibe: the Portrait of Mali

This is a new monograph on the finest African photographer recognized as the living memory of Mali. Born in 1936 at Soloba, in the Yanfolila Cercle, Mali, Malick Sidibe is now an internationally recognized artist and is considered the greatest African photographer. In 1962, just after Mali proclaimed its independence, Sidibe opened his studio in Bamako, devoting himself to reportage and documentary photography. His famous black and white images portray youth culture and dance evenings in the Malian capital. During the 70s he turned to highly studied studio portraits which appeared, nonetheless, extremely spontaneous and fresh. Since 1999, his work has been marked by a particularly poetic approach to portraying people from behind, managing to convey their character despite such an unusual perspective.